The Constitutional Council in Burkina Faso has recognised military junta leader Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as the country’s new president, APA learnt Thursday.
Having taken into cognisance the resignation of President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and the power vacuum that ensued, the Constitutional Council decided that the function of head of state is vested in Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, as of January 24, 2022.
This date coincides with the overthrow of President Kabore’s regime by the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR), led by the 41-year-old Damiba, a former commander of the third military region appointed by the ousted president.
According to media sources, the court notified the new “head of state” and “supreme commander of the army” of its decision on Wednesday, although the date of his swearing-in was not specified.
According to a judicial source, the date should be set quickly, explaining that it must be “fixed by mutual agreement” between the Presidency and the Constitutional Council.
The president of the MPSR had justified his power grab by the “manifest inability” of President Kabore to curb the terrorist attacks that have hit Burkina Faso since 2016.
With the recognition of his new position by the Constitutional Council, Damiba officially becomes the president of a transition until constitutional order is restored.
After the coup, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) and the African Union suspended Burkina Faso from their activities, without further sanctions, asking the junta for a “reasonable” timetable for a return to constitutional order.
On February 5, a decree by Damiba announced a draft transitional charter and an electoral agenda within two weeks, “together with a proposal for the duration of the transition and the modalities for its implementation.”
ODL/cgd/fss/as/APA